Sudan rolls out second vaccination campaign to stop polio outbreak

The subnational campaign will vaccinate children aged under five years in accessible states

17 August 2024
polio outbreak, polio vaccination, disease prevention, UNICEF, Sudan, vaccines, vaccines work
UNICEF/UNI563016/Ahmed Elfatih Mohamdeen

17 August 2024, Port Sudan, Sudan – More than 2.9 million children under five years of age will be vaccinated against polio in the second round of a house-to-house vaccination campaign in seven states. The Federal Ministry of Health, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), will conduct the vaccination campaign from 19 to 22 August 2024. Around 7500 vaccinators will provide two drops of the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) to children under the age of five in seven states starting with five, and extending to the remaining two: River Nile, Gedarif, Kassala, Northern and Red Sea, followed by Blue Nile and White Nile. 

“Given the dire conditions our country is facing, we want to urge all caregivers in the states being covered to make the most of the opportunity that the upcoming polio campaign presents and to ensure children under five years of age receive oral polio vaccines. We owe it to our children to protect them from diseases that can be prevented as the ensuing conflict continues to inflict additional trauma on their well-being,” said H.E. Dr Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim Awadallah, Federal Minister of Health Sudan.  

National vaccination coverage in Sudan has plummeted from 85 per cent before the war to around 50 percent. In active conflict zones the rates are averaging at 30 per cent, a critically low rate of coverage. The delivery of vaccine supplies and routine immunization activities have been hindered by security concerns and lack of access.  

With the links between the variant poliovirus strains in Sudan and those detected in Egypt, South Sudan and Yemen in 2024, the risk of the poliovirus spreading across borders poses a real threat. Polio is currently one of the only two Public Health Emergencies of International Concern, the highest level of alert that WHO attributes to a disease to bring attention to its potential of international spread.  

“Despite a skeletal health system and the very real threats of a growing conflict, our teams are leaving no stone unturned to ensure surveillance for poliovirus and routine immunization continues to function even if in limited capacity, and that polio vaccines can reach all children, wherever they are accessible. Our teams are constantly exploring ways to make this happen, largely also thanks to support from our partners,” said Dr Shible Sahbani, WHO Representative in Sudan. 

Concurrent outbreaks of multiple other diseases – such as cholera, dengue, malaria and measles – are also prevalent in at least 12 of its 18 states. The Federal Ministry of Health, supported by WHO, UNICEF and partners, is making concerted efforts to ensure children in Sudan can still receive their childhood vaccinations, including polio vaccines, through routine immunization services. 

“With the heavy rains and flooding, deadly diseases can spread rapidly. When children get sick, they become more susceptible to malnutrition and malnourished children are similarly at heightened risk of getting severely ill. It is a vicious circle, ensuring all children are vaccinated is essential.,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Sudan Representative.  

Sudan has previously demonstrated strong outbreak response capacity, having closed the last cVDPV2 outbreak in 18 months. To raise awareness of the risks of polio spread and mobilize caregivers to accept polio and other life-saving vaccines, Sudan has, with support from partners, rolled out comprehensive social mobilization and community engagement plans. 

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Notes to editors: Since the start of the circulating variant poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) outbreak in September 2023, cVDPV2 has been detected in eight wastewater samples in Red Sea and White Nile States.  

As part of efforts to stop poliovirus spread, in June 2024, a polio vaccination campaign delivered nOPV2 and vitamin A to around 3.3 million children under five years of age in eight states, adapting to include children from newly displaced communities. Surveillance for poliovirus has also been sustained, despite the complex context. Health teams have been searching for acute flaccid paralysis (AFP), a tell-tale symptom of polio, in children and for poliovirus in wastewater samples collected at six environmental surveillance sites. These samples have also been delivered to a polio lab in neighbouring Egypt in ten batches so far since the start of the ongoing conflict.  

Media contacts

Ismail Elshaik
Expanded Programme on Immunization Manager
Federal Ministry of Health
Tel: +24 91 22 69 73 43
Eva Hinds
Chief of Communication and Advocacy
UNICEF Sudan
Tel: +249 123 168 594

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child and is committed to the children of Sudan. We never give up on finding solutions that provide immediate help to save the lives of children or provide durable support so that those children grow up with dignity, health and an education.  

For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit https://www.unicef.org/sudan/ 

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